


In Defense of What We Love

by aurumdalseni (kyo_chan)



Series: Raven Cycle Writing Fills [19]
Category: Dreamer Trilogy - Maggie Stiefvater, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen, Reluctant friends, Ronan and Hennessy are still not sure what to do with all this, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyo_chan/pseuds/aurumdalseni
Summary: Despite him being the first and only other dreamer she’d ever met, and the fact that he’d saved her life at least twice and Jordan’s once, she couldn’t resist the temptation to antagonize him. The invitation had been engraved into every part of him, from his buzzed head to his combat boots.or - Ronan and Hennessy have trust issues and need to get that out of the way.
Relationships: Hennessy & Ronan Lynch
Series: Raven Cycle Writing Fills [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1399438
Kudos: 16





	In Defense of What We Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my 200 follower giveaway, the prompt request was "Illusion" with Jordan and/or Hennessy. I decided that I really wanted to try writing in Hennessy's POV, and here we are! I actually can't wait to see how her friendship and trust with Ronan grows. Hope you enjoy!

This had been the longest Hennessy had ever spent away from Jordan. She hated the feeling, separation anxiety. She wasn’t fucking twelve anymore. It didn’t help that Lynch spent about as much time looking at his phone as she did wondering if Jordan was still alive. It was a shit system, this dreamer-dream thing. If something permanent happened to her, anyone near Jordan would know, but if it were the other way around? All the other girls had been killed and she’d felt nothing in Lindenmere. A shit system with shit rules that changed up on her just when she thought there was no more point. Hennessy didn’t know whether to be grateful or pissed off, and her ticker landed somewhere in the middle.

Her ass helped itself to the trunk of the BMW, and she lit up a cigarette, her third one since they’d pulled off somewhere along Skyline drive to rent a touristy cabin and figure out their plan. Hennessy wasn’t sure if she cared about a plan, and she wasn’t sure yet how she felt about meeting and saving other dreamers. She’d spent so long just trying to save herself and her girls that the victory of dreaming something other than a copy felt like the illusion of success. Especially when dreaming was still dangerous, and now being awake was doubly so. Sometimes, shit just didn’t get better, and she felt like a fool for thinking it did.

“You gonna sleep on the car tonight or what?”

Lynch walked up and hoisted himself up onto the trunk next to Hennessy, the ease of it suggesting he’d done it so often it could be reflex. He didn’t care when she tilted her head in his direction and released a cloud of nicotine at him. His stony expression shifted only in a single quirk of his brow. She offered him the pack, but he shook his head.

“I want to talk about your brother,” she told him.

Hennessy felt a ripple of satisfaction at the way his lip curled up.

“I fuckin’ don’t.”

Despite him being the first and only other dreamer she’d ever met, and the fact that he’d saved her life at least twice and Jordan’s once, she couldn’t resist the temptation to antagonize him. The invitation had been engraved into every part of him, from his buzzed head to his combat boots. If she hadn’t held his hand on the overlook, felt it shaking with hers, she would have given him so much more shit. As it was, she still wasn’t above pretending to be his jilted girlfriend to get an extra plate of fritters on the road.

“Nah, be straight with me, bruv. He’s fuckin’ with something important to me.”

Ronan ducked down into the span of his own shoulders a bit. “I think he’s got skin in the game.” He blinked, then wrinkled his nose. “That’s something he would fuckin’ say. Speak of the devil and he’ll appear or some shit.”

“I know his type, Lynch.”

Ronan bristled. “No, I don’t think you do.”

“You called him a liar.”

“He is.”

“Jordan—”

“Look, you asked and I’m telling you, so either you believe me or you don’t, but I don’t owe it to you to defend him. Especially not since Jordan already used him once to break into his place.” His gaze pierced into her through another cloud of smoke.

Hennessy bristled, supposing it was only fair since the date had only existed to get _The Dark Lady_ from Declan Lynch’s townhouse. No one said Jordan had to keep going back. There wasn’t a single other bloke on the planet who’d gotten her a jar of tyrian purple in a day. And no one else in the world had cared enough to try and save her girls. She gave it to Ronan for having the balls to call Jordan out to Hennessy’s face, and anyone else who’d done it would be choking on his own teeth right now.

“They’re using each other,” she concluded, her voice thick with something miserable and hopeful. Ronan’s gaze still drilled into her skull, and she wanted to push him off the fucking car. “That’s got a snowball’s chance of actually working out, and I think you know that too. So you can take your pissy attitude about your big brother and shove it up your arse sideways.”

Ronan scoffed. “You’re such a bitch.”

“Original of you.”

He folded his arms on his knees and looked out somewhere in the darkness. It was nearly impossible to see anything unless you were looking up. The trees were so thick, and the mountains behind them like monstrous guardians. Hennessy had spent so long in bustling cities and squatting in rich over-lit neighborhoods that she couldn’t decide if being here made her feel safe or trapped. The world in general kept that fight or flight fire alive in her blood. She should be sleeping, and yet if she could nick the keys off of Lynch, she’d probably drive and drive until she passed out. But Ronan seemed at home here, despite being on the run. He said the ley line, the source of the dream energy, was close here. She wasn’t sure if she could actually feel it, or if she only wanted to. Everything felt like a mirage after what she’d seen in Lindenmere, a shimmery thing that would disappear when she tried to reach for it. She would always wonder if she should have drowned in the ocean she’d dreamt the day he found her.

“Never seen him look at anyone like that.”

Hennessy extinguished her cigarette on the bottom of her boot, exhaling slowly. Ronan breathed it in just as deliberately.

“Yeah, ain’t that a pisser. She left me for that boring motherfucker.”

Ronan tipped his head back and cackled. “Traded one bitch for another.”

He jabbed her with his elbow. It startled her into a smirk.

“Fuck off, Lynch. I’ll stab you with my sword.”

“You wouldn’t even _have_ a sword without me so _you_ fuck off.”

They slid off the BMW, heading back toward the cabin. Hennessy desperately wanted to believe all this was real. She wanted to sleep and dream and wake up without being destroyed. She wanted Jordan to have the life she deserved instead of living Hennessy’s. It wasn’t until Ronan Lynch had bullied his way to them that she’d even thought those things were possible. They might have been running for their lives. They might have so many questions left to answer and more dreamers to find.

But it was the most alive she’d felt in years

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I can be found at my [TRC blog](http://oldkingyounggod.tumblr.com) or my [spicy TRC blog](http://athoughtfulking.tumblr.com). Feel free to come say hello or make a request, if you like. Thank you for reading! <3


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